


Let not your past define you

by Nines_best_boi



Category: RWBY
Genre: F/F, Faunus!Weiss
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-19
Updated: 2018-10-16
Packaged: 2019-04-04 14:04:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14021871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nines_best_boi/pseuds/Nines_best_boi
Summary: I'm terrible at summaries lol. Its basically about Ilia and Weiss becoming friends (or perhaps more) due to some... unforeseen circumstances.





	1. Black Rose

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first ever written work outside college essays, so please provide constructive criticisms and the like. This fic is likely to be pretty short, only two or three chapters is what I have planned. However, if yall really like my writing for whatever reason, I may make it longer or use it as a springboard for some sort of AU or something. IDK. Enjoy y'all!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you get a cookie if you recognize the songs I'm using as chapter titles

Looking back, she was surprised the dust mine explosion was even mentioned in class, Ilia thought to herself, laying down in her bed for what would probably be the last time. After all, the only victims were faunus, and in an Atlesian classroom, mentioning that you possessed even a semblance of compassion for them was grounds to be harassed mercilessly for weeks. Well, she chuckled wryly to herself, that was the case for most anyway. Every rule has an exception, and that exception was Weiss Schnee.

 

Ilia met Weiss within the first two weeks of attending school in Atlas, in less than ideal circumstances. Some other students had invited her along on a “night out on the town” of sorts. Ilia's first mistake was assuming this meant going out to some local clubs and having a party, but this was far from the case. Instead, this group of students had gathered to throw teargas canisters into a group of faunus rights protesters. Obviously, this did not sit well at all with Ilia, and she refused to do it. This, of course, incurred upon her the wrath of the rest of the group of students. It started with a punch to the stomach, and only escalated from there. She was moments from taking an entire canister of it to the face, when a part of a snowflake appeared directly in front of her face shielding it. The crowd, upon seeing the sigil of Weiss Schnee, immediately dispersed in terror, leaving Ilia curled up in a ball on the ground in tears, every ounce of willpower being used to keep her face from changing to a shade of blue. She felt herself being lifted and carried somewhere, but refused to lift her head to see where. As her tears began to subside, she drifted off to sleep.

 

When she awoke, it was very late at night. She slowly opened her eyes, fully expecting to be greeted with the face of one of her tormentors from the day before, ready to deliver yet another blow. Instead, she was greeted with a single ice-blue eye, attached to a slight but still rather attractive girl. The other eye was covered by a thick bandage, the same shade of white as her waist-length ponytail. As for the room itself, it was sparsely decorated, with a full length mirror next to the door, a dresser taking up one wall, and the bed upon which she currently resided was shoved into a corner. The walls were a similar shade of blue to the eyes of the figure standing before her. The figure spoke: “I'm glad you are finally awake, I was afraid I arrived too late yesterday. My name is Weiss Schnee, and you are currently in my room. My father has no idea you are here, though, and I would appreciate it greatly if you kept it that way. I know you must have a thousand questions, not least of which being why I, a Schnee, would possibly help a faunus girl, but I am afraid they must wait until tomorrow. For now, rest.” Ilia was stunned, unable to comprehend most of what she just heard. So, she said the first thing that came to her mind: “How did you know I'm a faunus? I do a pretty good job of hiding it.” “I didn't know until you just told me.” responded Weiss with a smirk. “Don't worry Ilia, your secret is safe with me. I am not my father.” she said before turning and closing the door behind her. Deciding that trying to process everything she just heard was going to take far more brainpower than she currently possessed, Ilia turned over and tried to fall asleep.

 

She awoke the next morning to a soft hand shaking her shoulder. “Ilia, wake up, its time for school!” She recognized the voice, but couldn't match a face to it until she opened her eyes. Ah, Weiss, the girl from last night. “Besides,” she continued, “I figured you'd want a few minutes to berate me with questions.” That she did, but she figured she would start with a simple one. “What time is it?” she asked, stifling a yawn. “Quarter to five” came the response. Ilia tried to sit up, but found the pain in her stomach to be altogether too much to deal with, and sank back down onto her pillows. “As much as I would like to let you rest the day here, Klein can only make up excuses to keep my father out of my room for so long, so you're going to have to move.” Ilia groaned in response as she was picked up bridal- style and placed on her feet. Taking a moment to find her balance, Ilia stood up straight and did a mental check of her status: no broken bones, but fairly major bruising along with a sizable cut on her abdomen. This wasn't too bad, she supposed, and the fact that her abdomen was bandaged well helped a lot. “ Did you do the wrap job on my stomach?” asked Ilia, appraising Weiss as she stood before her. “Nope, you can thank Klein for that.” She replied, turning to look out her doorway with her good eye. “Ok, coast looks clear, follow me.” With that, the two girls set off into the mansion.

 

“Ya know, this would be a lot easier if I were a cat” muttered Ilia, as she tripped over her third table leg of the evening. Weiss was about to respond when both heard a shout of rage from above. “Why the FUCK can't I see my OWN FUCKING DAUGHTER'S ROOM?!?” Bellowed a powerful male voice above them. “Yikes, is that your dear father?” Asked Ilia, turning to face Weiss. “Yes, that is” came the response, Weiss unable to keep her disgust with the man from entering her voice. “What, does she have some FUCKING mutt whore in there?” was heard above, just as loud as last time. At this, Ilia froze, turning a brilliant shade of red. To Ilia's surprise, Weiss's face was a similar shade of red.

She saw Weiss's indignant glare, and placed a hand on her shoulder. “If you ever need a break from _that,_ I'm sure I can convince my parents to let you come over or something.” With that, Weiss nodded to her wordlessly and continued slowly leading the pair out of the mansion.

 

When they finally arrived outside, dawn was just beginning to break. Weiss sat down on the ground with her back against the exterior wall, and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. “Want one?” She asked. “They usually help me after tirades like the one you just heard.” “No, thanks” came the response, Ilia's voice wavering slightly. “I find that I can't control my colors as well if I'm inebriated in any way, Nicotine included. Besides, I don't really like how they taste.” “Suit yourself Ilia, but if you change your mind let me know.” 

“M-may I ask a question?” asked Ilia, her voice betraying her attempt to appear unbothered at what she had just heard. “Go ahead” came the response from Weiss, as she blew smoke rings into the cold sunrise. “Has he always been like that, or is this a more recent development?” “Honestly, I think he started hating faunus because I like them. I've always been a thorn in his side, a title which I attach considerable pride to. I demonstrated from a young age that I'm not the type to simply fall in line and march when told to, and he's always resented that. It's no coincidence that Atlas's anti-gay laws were put in place less than a week after I told him I like girls, nor is it a coincidence that the laws preventing faunus from holding public office were placed on the books the same week I brought home a dog faunus friend from school. So, to answer your question, yes, he has always been a spiteful bastard that wants nothing less than my destruction.” 

Ilia was speechless as she placed an arm around Weiss's shoulders. After a minute, she finally found the right words. “Weiss, I don't know if I'll be able to succeed, but I'm going to try my hardest to convince my parents to let you stay with us. I cant stand the thought of someone who would go out of their way to help some random faunus girl for no reason other than that she could, being forced to come home to that.” “Thank you Ilia, but I'm already one step ahead of you. To put it bluntly, I'm running away. After school today, I'm taking an airship to Beacon. Their headmaster, Ozpin, said that he would love to have me there, and even created a false alias for me. The fact that i'll be starting a couple weeks into the new semester didn't seem to phase him in the slightest. I have enough money saved up to pay my tuition with tons left over. However, going this far without someone I can trust, can confide in, is going to be taxing to say the least. This is why I hope you will accompany me. You're every bit the fighter I am, if not better, and I would be lying if I said I hadn't had my eyes on you since we started school.” For the second time in as many minutes, Ilia found herself utterly speechless. She turned from facing Weiss to watching the sunrise, mulling over her decision. Finally, she spoke. “This is a huge decision, Weiss. Abandoning my parents and everything they did for me, to chase a dream. May I have some time to think about it?” “Of course, I just need an answer by the end of the school day.” Came the response, as Weiss put out her cigarette and stood. “Speaking of which, we should be off to class. We can drop by your house to pick up your weapon, if you need it.” Ilia shook her head, saying “I've got it right here.”

 


	2. Chapter II: She-Wolf

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: "I can definitely keep up a fic during college, no problem!!"  
> Also Me: *has not updated this in months*
> 
> Seriously though, sorry for taking so long between updates. Promise I'll *try* to get the next one out sooner

As she and Weiss walked towards Atlas Academy, they heard a faint crack in the distance, like a distant gunshot. They both dismissed it, and continued walking. Ilia asked Weiss what her favorite class was. “Biology” came the response. Weiss, it would seem, wasn’t much of a talker in the morning. This was understandable, especially since neither of them had had any coffee that morning, a ritual they both participated in. In that regard, everyone is the same, Ilia mused, Schnee or not. She thought back to when she was considering joining the White Fang, as she and Weiss walked along towards the Academy. She probably would have done it, too, had she not seen all the anti-gay propaganda plastered all over the walls of their headquarters. At the time, when she still thought she was straight, she had just found it a bit strange. ‘How did they reconcile it with themselves?’ she had wondered. If they were really fighting for equal rights as they claimed, why did they feel the need to alienate an entire group of what could be fierce allies? Of course at this point it was entirely academic, she had come to realize her attraction to girls not long after her thoughts of joining the Fang, and thus it was out of the question. She was interrupted from her thoughts by Weiss, who nudged her to inform her that they had arrived at the Academy.  
They hadn’t arrived a moment too soon, either, as a torrential downpour of cold Atlesian rain, accompanied by thunder, began as soon as they stepped through the Academy’s front gate. The pair sprinted for the classroom block, and made it inside just before the doors locked at the start of their day. They shared a first class: Japanese V. Normally, the classroom’s projector was used to show the class their assignments to be completed by the end of the class. However, today’s class was going to be different. The projector was playing a morning news program today, so the pair both took their seats and listened to the broadcast.  
“This morning at 0545, a dust mine located in Königsberg exploded. The latest speculation is that unsafe conditions within the mine caused one of the Faunus workers to trip and fallwhile carrying a box full of dust, detonating it and by extension, the rest of the mine. It is not yet known whether or not any of the workers survived the explosion, but there have not yet been any survivors found. Schnee Dust Company, the owners and sole operators of this mine, have come under fire from several sources for the unsafe conditions in their mines and for their exploitation of Faunus, who are routinely paid far less than minimum wage to work in the mines. In other news…”  
Ilia didn’t pay attention to much after that, nor did Weiss. Ilia sat, shocked, staring at her desk. It was all she could do to keep from changing colors, and Weiss looked as if you could knock her over with a feather. Then, she heard a member of her class start to laugh. And as one person starts to laugh, others often follow suit. This pushed Ilia over the edge, and in a brutal rage she allowed herself to turn a deep shade of crimson. The sudden silence of the room was deafening, punctuated only by the ticking of the clock on the wall.  
Weiss knew these kids better than her, Ilia supposed, so she didn’t protest when Weiss grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the classroom. Once they were out of earshot, Weiss pulled her around to face her. “You can’t stay here” said Weiss. “Now that they know you’re a Faunus, they’ll never leave you alone. With that in mind, have you reconsidered my offer?” Ilia was still so angry she was finding it difficult to speak, but she managed to stammer “My parents were in that mine. If there are no survivors as that news outlet claimed, then there is nothing left for me here. So yes, I will accompany you.” Weiss, in a very un-characteristic display of emotion, gave the girl a hug, saying “I know where we can hide out until it is time to go. Follow me.” Then she released Ilia, and together they walked to a storage closet in the basement of the Academy.  
They managed to go undiscovered for about an hour, before a staff member found them. He grabbed them both by the wrists, and threw Ilia to the floor, muttering something about “fucking mutt whores” before kicking her in the ribs, hard. It hurt badly enough that she was blinded for a moment, from both the pain and the humiliation of it. He hit her twice more before she heard the distinctive sound of a sword leaving its scabbard. She heard Weiss talking, but couldn’t quite make out what she was saying. Evidently, whatever she said worked, because she opened her eyes a little bit just in time to see him scampering off, and Weiss replacing her rapier. She grasped Weiss’s offered hand, and staggered to her feet. Weiss told her “We better get going, if we want to make it out of here without a fight.” Ilia nodded, and limped along after Weiss. The two disappeared into the rainstorm, towards the parking lot.  
Ilia was mostly able to talk by the time they reached Weiss’s Porsche 918. Ilia would have expected it to be white, or possibly ice-blue, but certainly not what she saw. The car was a dark shade of crimson, with two bright red racing stripes. The interior was black, and, even more surprisingly, there wasn’t a Schnee Dust Company symbol anywhere on it. Weiss seemed to take note of Ilia’s confusion, saying “It may be a bit of a surprise, but my favorite color is actually red. Father just doesn’t let me have anything that color because he thinks it’s ‘not lady-like.’ He doesn’t even know this car exists, which is good for us, because he won’t be looking for it.” With that, she motioned Ilia inside, and stepped into the driver’s seat. “My sister also taught me how to race, so you don’t need to worry about my driving.” This proclamation didn’t calm Ilia’s nerves at all, but she didn’t say anything. Instead, she placed her hands in her lap and tried not to think about the myriad of ways this whole operation could go wrong.  
Some time later, she found herself at Atlas Airport, and found Weiss arguing with a security guard. At least, this person looked like Weiss. However, she looked to her right to see Weiss, still in the driver’s seat, calmly drumming the steering wheel. “That must be your sister, then?” Ilia asked. “You got it, that’s Winter. She’s the commander of this base, and this security guy won’t open the gate. She’s getting it open for us.” A short minute later, she saw the gate start to slide open, and Winter began walking towards them. Weiss rolled down her window and looked up at her sister. “Well, if it isn’t the She-Wolf of Atlas!” exclaimed Winter, much to Weiss’s apparent chagrin. Weiss responded with “Good to see you too, Win.” “Who’s this you got with you?” “Her name is Ilia, and she’s a Chameleon” came Weiss’s response. “Thanks for outing me” grumbled Ilia, as she turned to face Winter. “I was her classmate at the Academy, and she invited me along to run away with her. So here I am.” Winter grinned. “For the record, I couldn’t care less if you’re a Faunus or not, as long as you’re a good person. At any rate, I’m here to tell you in person that I’ve grounded all flights into or out of here until tomorrow. Whatever dust they were dragging out of that mine caused that explosion to do all sorts of nasty stuff to the local weather. We’ve sent search and rescue teams over there, but there’s only one person unaccounted for, and the rest all died.” Ilia spoke: “Do you happen to know if they found both Amitolas?” “I don’t know off the top of my head, but I can certainly find out for you, if you’d like. What relation did they have to you?” Asked Winter. Ilia almost didn’t want to say, but she did anyway, as Winter seemed to be someone who would be able to give her answers. “They’re my parents” she responded, tears already welling up in her eyes. “I see” came the soft response from Winter. ‘I’ll find out and let you know as soon as I’m able.” “Thank you” replied Ilia. “Also, it would be advisable for the two of you to find a place off-base to stay tonight. My apologies for the delay, but I’m not sending any of my pilots up in this weather unless they’re flying rescue helicopters.” Weiss looked crestfallen, but nodded. “Alright, then, we can find a place. See you tomorrow!” Winter waved at the pair as they drove off. Weiss made sure to follow all traffic laws until they were off-base, then asked Ilia if she had any ideas about where they could hide out overnight. Ilia suggested her house, so that’s where they went. Weiss pulled in the now-vacant garage, and shut the door behind her Porsche. It took most of Ilia’s strength to step into her house for what would likely be the last time. She began to pack up some of her things, and soon began to cry, as the emotional weight of all that had happened to her that day began to catch up with her. Weiss watched through the doorway, but didn’t say anything. Soon, Ilia decided she had enough packing, and turned in to sleep. Weiss did the same, walking over to the guest bedroom and turning in for the night. 

The next morning, Ilia awoke before Weiss. At first she thought the previous day had all been just a dream, but as she tried to sit up, she found her left hip to be super stiff. “So it was real then” she muttered to herself. “I’d better go wake up Weiss, lest we miss our flight.” With that, she set off for the guest bedroom, where Weiss was likely sleeping. She was correct, and as she gently padded over to her to wake her up, she noticed something strange: a pair of wolf ears poking out the top of her head, one side clipped off at the tip. ‘That explains her sister’s nickname’ she thought to herself, as she gently shook her newfound friend’s shoulder to wake her.  
Weiss woke with a start, involuntarily swatting away whatever hand dared disturb her slumber. She slowly turned around and saw Ilia, and smiled. “Morning Ilia” she grumbled, and she slowly sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. In so doing, one of her fingertips batted her left ear. She jumped and her eyes widened, and she hurriedly tried to find some way to cover them up. “Relax Weiss, you really think I’d care?” said Ilia, in a bemused tone. “Sorry, force of habit” replied Weiss, as she sat up. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to get changed before we fly out. I think our pilot may frown upon us showing up in our pajamas.” Ilia nodded, and, a bit reluctantly, left the room. A few moments later Weiss emerged, ears safely tucked away. “Presumably you leave one standing up in your ponytail?” inquired Ilia, as she watched Weiss wander around. “Yes, I can actually hear out of it that way” she replied. “I might even leave them both out at beacon, though I really don’t feel like explaining my dear Father’s mark to every passerby.” She remarked, with a look at Ilia. “Oh that’s what that’s from” She replied. “I’m so sorry you had to go through all that, it must have been awful.” “Not as bad as it was for my dear sister, she had hers docked completely.” “Why? Why did he do this?” “He hates Faunus almost as much as he hates women. My sister’s was a punishment for trying to run away, mine was a punishment for talking out of turn.” Ilia was speechless, luckily, Weiss started heading for the door. “Better hit the road, my sister texted me saying everything is going to be grounded out of here for the foreseeable future, so it looks like we’re driving.” With that, she opened the door and jumped in her Porsche, with Ilia hot on her heels.


End file.
